MAX IV and ESS

Lund University is in the middle of an intensive development phase. The two largest research facilities in Sweden - the MAX IV Laboratory and the European Spallation Source (ESS) - are being built in Lund.

MAX IV

MAX-lab is a national electron accelerator laboratory for synchrotron radiation research, nuclear physics and accelerator physics.

MAX-lab is now to be extended with MAX IV that will be 100 times more efficient than any existing comparable synchrotron radiation facility in the world. Close to a 1000 scientists come to the MAX IV Laboratory every year from around the world to use the x-rays produced by the electron accelerators to do research in areas such as physics, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine, materials science, structural biology and nanotechnology. Some 170 people are currently employed at the MAX IV Laboratory, which will attract many skilled and curious workers during the coming years.

MAX IV Laboratory is located in Lund, Sweden, and hosted by Lund University. Funders are the Swedish Research Council, VINNOVA, Lund University, Region Skåne and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

European Spallation Source

In an area of two square kilometres in north-west Lund, the European Spallation Source (ESS), a unique facility for materials research, will be built. The ESS will be a multidisciplinary scientific research centre harnessing the world’s most powerful neutron source. Researchers will be able to study the materials of everyday life, from plastics and proteins to medicines and molecules, in order to understand how they are built up and how they work.

The facility can be likened to a giant microscope, where neutrons are fired at different types of material so that they can be analysed in detail. ESS will be responsible for future research breakthroughs in medicine, environmental science, climate, communication and transport.

Despite competition from British, Spanish, Hungarian and German rivals, Lund was given the honour of building the facility, which is being co-financed by a number of countries in the EU who will all benefit from it.

Along with the planned MAX IV facility, ESS will form a hub in the European research infrastructure. ESS is expected to be fully operational in 2020.

Science Village Scandinavia

Lund University, City of Lund and Region Skåne have together established Science Village Scandinavia to support the development of infrastructure for the two new research facilities. The area will have a strong international character and focus on sustainable urban development.